


Windows

by buriedandreset



Series: Wraith/Loba [2]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, gunshot wound, some blood, some discussion of PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25707355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buriedandreset/pseuds/buriedandreset
Summary: Loba asked for Wraith's help in a heist, but things went sideways and Wraith got shot. Going back to Loba's home, the thief helped treat Wraith's wound. Eventually they have a heart-to-heart discussion. After all, the eyes are the windows to the soul, and both Wraith and Loba know what they are looking for.
Relationships: Loba Andrade/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Series: Wraith/Loba [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021291
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	Windows

**Author's Note:**

> I finally finished this one! I'd started it shortly after I finished "The Hunt Begins," but then got distracted by the other fics I've been working on and posting here.

Well, that didn’t go as planned. Loba had intended to get in and out with a new necklace, with some assistance from Wraith, but she’d vastly under-estimated how much security there would be. Clearly the owner had anticipated the thief trying to steal the heirloom and had beefed up security. And now Wraith was injured and the thief had done something crazier than she’d ever thought she’d do: She abandoned the heist to get Wraith to safety. It was Loba’s fault for getting Wraith into this. She was driving them back to her place as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t that difficult for Wraith to bite back the pain. She’d taken pain a lot worse than a bullet to the shoulder without outwardly flinching. She’d suffered so much worse at the hands of the IMC, and even that was of what she could remember. Who knew how much more she’d gone through in the part of her life she no longer remembered.

“Just stay with me, alright? We’ll get you back to my place and get you patched up.” Loba was worried, hoping that Wraith wouldn’t pass out from blood loss or anything. She really didn’t want to have to call Ajay and ask her to patch Wraith up. Sure, logic told her she should call the medic anyway for her expertise, but Loba felt wholly responsible for Wraith getting hurt, so she would take it upon herself to treat her wound.

“I’m fine,” Wraith responded through clenched teeth. There was a slight note of pain hidden within her tone.

“You have a hole in your shoulder and you’re bleeding all over my upholstery. You are _not_ fine,” Loba retorted. Her tone was perhaps a little sharper than she’d intended, but she was feeling guilty. And also worried.

Loba also kind of wanted to just take care of Wraith as well.

Pulling into her property, Loba’s car screeched to a halt in front of the garage. She’d put the car away later. For now, she got out of the car and went around to help Wraith out of the passenger side. Wraith tried to shrug off the help, but Loba wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Let me help you. Please.” Loba stated. Wraith gave her a look, but let out a huff of resignation after a moment. Loba helped guide her inside and into the closest bathroom. She helped her to sit, and in the light here it was obvious that her car would probably need new upholstery. But that was the least of her concerns right now.

Wraith started trying to take her shirt off, but grimaced as her injured shoulder protested the movement. Even Loba winced a little.

“Here, let me help,” Loba offered gently. She wasn’t going to try to help pry her shirt off without consent. Wraith gave a nod, and Loba helped ease the shirt off of her with minimal jostling to her shoulder. She did her best to not stare at Wraith’s bare skin and instead focused on the hole in her shoulder. “Well, it’s a clean through-and-through, at least. It’s your lucky day, I don’t have to go digging for a bullet.”

“Too bad, if it was a bullet made of gold, you may think otherwise,” Wraith retorted. It earned a snort of amusement from Loba, helping to break the tension a bit. Loba went and retrieved a first aid kit and a couple towels. First thing was first, they needed to stop the bleeding as much as possible.

“This is going to hurt,” she commented. Wraith braced herself, then Loba applied pressure. A jolt of pain seared through Wraith and she nearly cried out in pain, but managed to bite it back. “Damn, you’re tough,” Loba commented as she kept the pressure up.

“I’ve been through worse,” Wraith grunted out. The pain was more evident in her voice now, but she was managing to keep it together. Though stars crossed her vision from the pain that seared through her shoulder. She felt like she was going to pass out.

“Hey, no passing out on me now.” Loba looked at Wraith and noted how pale she was. “You’re a very stubborn woman, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” Wraith’s stubbornness had saved her more times than she could count. She was too stubborn to die, too stubborn to break. Though hadn’t she already been broken? Some days, the voices made it seem like she was one fragment cast adrift from the whole. Anita wasn’t _wrong_ when she called her a headcase. It was insulting, but Wraith would never let her know it got under her skin. Unless Anita caught her on a bad day, then Wraith might actually fight back.

It was probably for the best that Anita had never met the Voidwalker. That other Wraith that had helped her escape the IMC facility would’ve kicked Anita’s ass so hard she’d end up four dimensions over.

“I admire it.” Which she did. Loba hadn’t thought she’d end up getting attached to anyone when she’d joined the Apex Games, but Wraith had certainly grown on her. And it wasn’t just because she was the gateway to the dimension that had the artifact she was looking for.

“I’m not the only one here who’s stubborn,” Wraith commented. It was simple banter, but Wraith understood that Loba was trying to distract her from the pain.

“You’re not wrong there.” Loba responded with a smile. After a little while longer, Loba checked the bleeding then dressed the wound. “I really should call Ajay to dress this better, but something tells me you don’t want her chastising you for getting shot.”

“More like you don’t want her lecturing you about getting me shot,” Wraith quipped back. She glanced at Loba’s hands working on dressing the wound. “You’re pretty good at this.”

“I’ve had some practice.” After all, Loba had taken her bumps and bruises when she’d first started her thieving ways. She’d learned to look after herself earlier than most. In some ways, she saw that same streak in Wraith, though their paths had been very different. “Alright, that should do it. Though I’ll check it again in a little while. If it’s not doing that well, I’ll call the medic.” Loba sat back, satisfied with her dressing of the wound. Loba then gently cleaned the blood that had dripped its way down Wraith’s skin.

The care to which Loba took to gently clean the blood from her didn’t go unnoticed by Wraith. It made her feel things she didn’t completely understand. A little part of her wanted to cry, but she didn’t know if that was from the pain of her injury or from Loba’s kindness and gentle touch. Perhaps it was a combination of both. She managed to hold it in, however. Wraith hated letting her emotions show, though that had been a lesson she’d been taught in the IMC facility. Any expression of strong emotions was always met by her being immediately restrained and sedated. It had taken a while, but she’d learned to keep her emotions locked tightly deep inside her. Some people simply assumed she cold and uncaring, but that was the furthest from the truth. Wraith cared, and she cared a lot. She felt very deeply, sometimes too deeply. And here was Loba working her way in and making her care about her. Not only that, but Loba had a way of making Wraith feel human, and as close to normal as she would ever get.

Wraith glanced down at her shoulder for a moment before she looked back at Loba. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” For once, her typical flirty response was gone, replaced by caring, pure and simple. They weren’t in the arena currently. Loba could afford to be more direct in her responses. She was a flirt by nature, but something about Wraith also made her want to be honest, which was not something she was used to feeling. She hadn’t yet decided whether she liked it or not. “Do you want something for the pain?”

“No, I can handle it.” Wraith responded. Like Loba, Wraith didn’t easily trust others. She also didn’t open up to people, even those she considered her closest friends very rarely, if ever, got the whole story on what she was going through. No one knew about the voices in her head or the experiments she’d been subjected to. Or if they knew, it hadn’t come from Wraith telling them about it.

Loba let out a little huff. “You can be infuriating, you know. At least let me get you something to eat or drink. You can rest here until we know you’ll be fine.” Wraith had lost blood and needed to replenish herself. “And don’t you dare say you don’t need anything. You at the very least need fluids. So come on, let’s get you something.” Loba stated, holding her hand out to Wraith. She didn’t expect Wraith to take it, but she wanted to make the offer to help her get up.

Wraith looked at Loba, clearly contemplating saying she didn’t need anything, but she knew she definitely needed something. So she finally relented, giving her a nod before she took the offered hand and got to her feet. She was a little light-headed and she grabbed onto Loba’s arm for support out of reflex. Loba helped steady her.

“Easy. You can lean on me. And I should have a shirt you can borrow so you don’t have to wear the one covered in blood.” Loba looked Wraith over a bit. While Wraith wasn’t lacking in the bust department, Loba’s bust line was larger, and she was also a bit taller than Wraith, but she doubted the other woman would mind a slightly over-sized top. She helped relocate Wraith to the couch before she went to get her something to drink and get her something else to wear.

Sitting on the couch, Wraith closed her eyes, doing her best to will the pain away. She just hoped that Loba’s attention to the wound was enough and that they didn’t have to call Ajay. She really didn’t want to deal with lectures from the medic about what had happened. Wraith was well aware it hadn’t been the best idea in the world, but it was really difficult to say no to Loba. The woman was highly persuasive, and Wraith found she did actually like her company.

Loba tended to be more high maintenance and high energy than she typically liked, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Sometimes you needed to be around someone with a different type of energy now and then. And Loba’s was more than a little addictive. Especially after that kiss they’d shared after that game of tag they’d played, Wraith had found she couldn’t get Loba out of her head.

“Here, this should help,” Loba said as she came back, handing Wraith some water. “This might be a little big for you, but hopefully you won’t mind.” She handed the shirt over to Wraith, who very gingerly pulled it on. She only grimaced slightly, though it had hurt much worse than she let on.

“Getting shot isn’t as fun as some people make it out to be.” Wraith said as she gingerly leaned back and took a drink.

“No, but you’re taking it way better than most people would.” Loba commented as she sat down on the couch as well.

“I’ve been through worse,” she quipped. While it was Wraith’s trademark deadpan tone, there was a little sliver of something else buried within the tone of her voice that Loba could easily hear. And it was the type of thing that could only be heard by someone else who had been through worse.

“You’re definitely tough. And I think I know you enough to know that asking for help isn’t your strong suit. If you need painkillers, you can find them in the cabinet in that bathroom,” Loba pointed towards the bathroom they’d been in. She wasn’t going to force the woman to take them, but she wanted her to know where they were if she decided she did want them and found it too hard to ask.

“Thank you,” she responded softly.

“You’re welcome, beautiful.” Loba hadn’t meant to actually say beautiful, it was just a force of habit. But she also did mean it. Wraith was beautiful, and she liked her. It was just difficult for her to really express it as it wasn’t natural to her to open up and let someone in like that.

Perhaps that was part of the attraction. Both her and Wraith had that in common. It hadn’t been difficult to figure that out when they both had their walls and it gave them a better understanding of each other without having to ask prying questions. Sometimes having an innate sense of understanding was better than asking a bunch of questions someone might get prickly about answering truthfully.

It was an easy silence they fell into as Wraith drank some water. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the couch. Loba looked at her, pressing her lips together in a thin line as she worked up the nerve to say something that had been gnawing at her. Finally, she broke the silence.

“I’m sorry you got hurt. I clearly didn’t do my research well enough.” Loba apologized. Wraith opened her eyes, turned her head and looked at Loba.

“I highly doubt that’s what happened. My guess is the guy added more guards secretly to catch potential thieves in a trap. No amount of your research could have prepared you for that. I think we’re just lucky a single bullet to my shoulder is the only injury we suffered.” Wraith stated. Let it not be said that she wasn’t pragmatic.

“You are too kind, but I should have accounted for extra security. It’s a slip up that will not happen again. I...never wanted you to get hurt. I was scared that your injury was more severe.” Loba admitted, looking down at her hands.

“You were worried about me?” Wraith asked bluntly. She was also nothing if not straight forward.

“Of course I was. I didn’t want you to potentially die when it was my mistake in the first place.” Loba admitted. She gazed at Wraith, wanting to say more, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to do so. Loba was afraid of opening up like that, of simply putting her heart out there.

“Ah, so it was more you were concerned with how it would look if I died on your watch than you actually were about my well-being.” Wraith deadpanned. The comment wasn’t actually made seriously. Wraith _knew_ Loba cared about her, but she was perhaps trying to prod her to say what she’d stopped herself from saying. Normally she wouldn’t push the topic, but right now she felt like she needed to hear whatever it was that Loba had stopped herself from saying.

“No! That’s not what I meant.” Loba quickly interjected. “I just...was afraid of possibly losing you.” Alright, so it wasn’t _quite_ admitting that she liked Wraith, but it was a step closer to it than she’d been before?

That was definitely something that Wraith needed to hear. It made her typically heavy heart feel lighter. She reached out and set her hand over Loba’s. “I’m glad that you care. Though it will take more than one single bullet to kill me.” She gently squeezed Loba’s hand. This was so far out of her comfort zone, but she also couldn’t deny that she wanted to be close to Loba right then. It made her feel safe.

“Good because I definitely don’t want to lose you. In any sense of the word.” Which was true. It was a little unnerving just how quickly Loba had developed a liking of Wraith. Though she supposed it was because they were so alike in how they approached emotions that they had that innate understanding and could read between the lines with each other so easily.

Wraith smiled softly and slowly shifted closer to Loba. Actions tended to speak louder than words, and actions were easier for Wraith to express herself. So she leaned her head against Loba’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Sleep was typically not easy for Wraith, a lot of nightmares and sometimes the voices in her head would wake her up. But right now, she felt safe enough to actually fall asleep.

And Wraith did fall asleep. Loba didn’t mind, she was perfectly happy to simply sit there with Wraith leaning against her. The simple action of Wraith having leaned her head on Loba’s shoulder had made the lone wolf’s heart flutter in her chest. Loba shifted only enough so she could slip an arm around Wraith’s shoulders, otherwise she simply sat there and closed her own eyes.

Loba didn’t fall asleep, but she did drift, still being mostly aware of her surroundings. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but she was suddenly brought back to the present moment when she felt Wraith jerk a bit and whimper in her sleep. Loba frowned, more than recognizing the signs of a nightmare. As such, Loba pulled her arm away from Wraith, having an inkling that feeling something around her as she woke up would only make her panic more. And as such, Loba also knew not to try and wake Wraith up. It would only make things worse. That was something Loba knew from personal experience.

That had been another thing that Loba had picked up on with Wraith. The woman clearly suffered from PTSD, much as Loba herself did. While Loba’s anxiety tended to manifest in nightmares and outbursts of anger whenever she thought about Revenant and her parents, Wraith seemed to be quite the opposite. As such, Loba had always felt more of a connection to Wraith through the fact they both had suffered through something highly traumatic in their pasts.

While Loba wouldn’t interfere and let Wraith ride out her nightmare however she naturally did, she was making sure she didn’t further injure her shoulder. That would be the only thing that would make Loba actually wake Wraith up is if her injury suddenly got worse and required immediate medical attention. It might’ve been a good idea to have Ajay standing by, but Loba wasn’t going to move to make the call. Though she didn’t have to wait long, nor did she need to make the call, as Wraith suddenly jolted awake, then grunted in pain as the force of her suddenly sitting upright jarred her injured shoulder.

“Hey, take it easy. You’re safe,” Loba stated, eyes going directly to Wraith’s injured shoulder.

Wraith took some slow breaths to try to calm down, but she was very clearly still on edge. Even the look in her eyes was distant, something that Loba knew all too well herself. And she had a feeling Wraith might need something stronger than water.

“Did I wake you up?” Wraith asked after a minute as she finally seemed to realize where she was and that she wasn’t in trouble.

“No, I wasn’t asleep, so don’t worry about that. Though I think you need something stronger than water to drink.” Now that Wraith was more aware of her surroundings, thus less likely to lash out at any movement, Loba got up and walked over to the bar. She set two glasses down, then poured them both a glass of whiskey. She made Wraith’s a double just given how haunted she looked. After all, for people who knew where and how to look, the eyes were the windows to the souls. And Loba could see how troubled Wraith was beneath the surface.

“I hope I didn’t...hit you or anything,” Wraith mumbled when Loba came back and handed her the whiskey. Wraith’s nose wrinkled a bit, but she took the drink with a note of thanks and took a sip. She _did_ need something to calm her frayed nerves. Loba sat back down beside her.

“I know you most likely don’t want to talk about it, but if you feel the need to, I will listen. I’ve had more than my share of nightmares that seem too real, so believe me when I say I will never judge you or think you’re crazy.” Loba said, looking at Wraith. The other brunette lifted her gaze to meet Loba’s, and for some moments, Wraith felt entirely defensive, ready to make some biting comeback.

But she didn’t. The way Loba looked at her and how she’d said that diffused her defensive stance. Her shoulders sagged only slightly, but she gave a little nod. Loba definitely had her moments of being unreadable, but Wraith saw the truth in her eyes. There was honesty and genuine worry there, but something else. Something that said that Loba was just as haunted as she was. Wraith wasn’t stupid or blind, she’d seen how Loba would twitch or get more on edge whenever Revenant was around or talk of him came up.

“I was in a place I like to hope that I’ll forget one day. But there are some things you can never forget no matter how hard you try.” Sure it was vague, but Wraith wasn’t one to really talk about herself or what she’d been through. Nor was she one to admit she’d lost the vast majority of her memory.

“I understand that all too well.” Loba replied, sipping her own whiskey.

“I usually don’t even say that much to people. Trust is not easy for me, and I prefer to keep my burdens to myself. But with you, it’s different. I feel safe with you.” Though Wraith didn’t quite mean that in the physical sense, considering she hadn’t exactly been safe when she’d gotten shot at earlier. What Wraith meant was that the voices in her head didn’t go off when Loba was around. Most of the other Legends didn’t trigger the voices. Revenant did, though.

“Well, beautiful, I’d like to say you’re perfectly safe with me, but you _did_ get shot earlier because of me,” Loba pointed out with a little smile, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit Or at least cut the tension some more so Wraith could maybe relax again.

“True, but that’s not quite what I meant. I don’t know how to put it other than you silence the noise in my head, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing yet.” Wraith stated.

Loba eyed her for some moments. Somehow she knew the noise to which Wraith was referring was more than just the normal jumble of thoughts people had. But from what she could glean from Wraith’s body language and reading between the lines, it was perhaps more than just PTSD-related noise.

“I am glad that I can silence the noise in your head. I admit, you’ve had a similar effect on the noise in my head.” Which was the truth. It was unnerving, but Loba had come to find she wasn’t on guard so much around Wraith. Her thoughts tended to be clearer and the woman had an oddly calming presence. “You deserve some peace of mind.”

Wraith took a longer sip of her whiskey, feeling it burn its way down her throat and chest. But it was a welcome sensation. “Maybe, but everyone could use some peace of mind. Well, most everyone.” There were undoubtedly some exceptions to that, but that’s not what she was trying to get at. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, and I kind of want you to stay there.”

Okay so Loba tended to be good and reading between the lines, but considering what she believed they were talking about, she’d need some actual clarification on that front. “Why Wraith, is that your way of asking me to be your girlfriend?” While her tone was light and could be taken for being playful and not serious, the look in her eyes said otherwise. After all, if she was barking up the wrong tree, she didn’t want it to seem like she’d be crushed by a rejection there.

“Yes. I am.” Wraith responded, gazing into Loba’s eyes. “You make me feel _human_ , and I kind of need that more than I could, or would, ever say.”

A warm smile stretched across Loba’s face. She reached up and pressed a hand to Wraith’s cheek as she leaned in closer, her eyes locked on Wraith’s. “Then I will do everything I can to make you feel human every moment that I am with you, beautiful.”

Wraith’s gaze grew a little more emotional. It was strange to see such emotion within her eyes. But it warmed Loba’s heart to know that Wraith was _allowing_ her to see the emotion instead of hiding it like she typically did. Loba, for her part, also let her own emotions show in her eyes. She really liked Wraith, and if she were honest with herself, Wraith made her feel more human as well. Or at least more honest with how she spoke and carried herself. She didn’t have to put up her guard so much around Wraith, and that in and of itself was unnerving.

Wraith read the emotions in Loba’s eyes, but she didn’t have the words to respond. She didn’t yet have the will to actually tell anyone what had really happened to her in her past, or about the voices in her head. What she’d said to Loba was as close as she would get. But part of her _wanted_ to tell Loba what she’d been through, and that was a frightening notion. Though it most certainly wouldn’t be happening now.

No, now she simply wanted to kiss this woman. Wraith leaned in and kissed Loba, relishing in the feel of the woman’s warm, soft lips against her own. Wraith needed this human contact more than she’d ever let on. She leaned into the kiss as Loba returned it. The kiss seemed to last forever, or at least that’s how it felt to her. Finally, Wraith broke the kiss, pulling back only far enough to be able to look Loba in the eye.

“I doubt I’ll be able to sleep now,” she admitted a bit sheepishly.

“That’s alright, you don’t have to sleep. We can just sit here together and listen to some soothing music, perhaps?” Loba asked. Wraith gave a nod and Loba grabbed a nearby remote and pressed a button. Shortly thereafter, classical music began to play through speakers, though Loba turned the volume down so they could easily talk over it if they wished.

Wraith didn’t say anything further. She simply shifted to snuggle up to Loba. Loba slid an arm around Wraith and held her close. It was definitely nice to have company, and moments like these were extremely rare for Loba. So she was going to savor this.

Wraith, on the other hand, had never really experienced anything like this before. It felt both natural and unnatural to her. It didn’t take long for her to relax against Loba. The whiskey and soft music certainly helped, but it was largely Loba’s presence, and her warmth. She liked being close to her, and for now, she was simply content to just snuggle with her new girlfriend. She didn’t know how exactly that had happened, but she was happy it had.

Things would simply get a lot more frightening from here on out. Wraith had no idea what she was doing, but she was willing to try. And that’s what mattered, right? She wasn’t running away from this, at least not yet. Sharing personal details would be a lot harder to do than asking Loba to be her girlfriend.

But that was a challenge for another day. For now, Wraith relaxed and let herself enjoy this rare moment of quiet, both within and without.


End file.
